'Batman beyond'

We are a nation divided yet again.

No one really cares or dares to talk about it but the fact is, whenever a religious group or church actively and publicly endorses one candidate or a list of candidates for national positions, they have in effect caused division among the people. So far two major groups have gone public with their endorsements.

The question is why?

Considering the fact that a vote is a personal right and a matter of confidence, I cannot understand why the leaders of the major religious groups and churches cannot keep their vote or their choice in secrecy, in the same manner they vow to keep confessions a secret.

By publicly endorsing a candidate, what exactly does any church hope to accomplish?

Is it merely an endorsement or a vain attempt to show “power and influence”? Is it part of a long established practice where part of the deal is for church leaders to leak or announce their choice in order to affect those who are undecided or to sway public opinion?

For a more pragmatic reason, I am told that churches are merely maximizing the inevitable. Since they have to vote, they might as well agree on a candidate who can in turn give them something back. 

If that is the case, then the next question is: what do they get out of it?

The long accepted opinion on the matter is that “political support entitles churches to appoint members to certain positions”.

In fact once the elections are over, thousands of jobs are going to be fought over by the incoming President, Vice President, the future Senate President, the Speaker of the House, major business groups and certainly churches.

Except for the tendency to influence other voters or the undecided, there is really nothing wrong with churches giving public endorsements. But in order to complete the picture, church leaders should likewise declare that they will not ask or recommend any member be appointed to any government office or position under the influence of the candidate they have endorsed.

In the same manner, it is only proper for the “endorsed candidates” to declare never to appoint people recommended by churches for government positions.

It’s never been done before, maybe it’s about time we demand it. Yes it may be lip service in the end. But then again, when men of God tell lies, they pay the price.  

* * *

I just spent an hour or more watching “cartoons” with my daughter Hannah. “Batman Beyond: The return of the Joker” is an animated version of Batman and Robin but in a very futuristic setting.

In reality, at age 54, I am old enough to be a “Gramps”, something she calls me when she’s trying to get me to chase her around the pool or generally just to get my goat. But even at 54, I have successfully managed to retain my childlike awe for “cartoons” and super heroes.

It never fails to amuse my wife Karen, how Hannah and I can sit together totally enthralled with “Ben 10”, “Phineas and Ferb” and “Jimmy Neutron”. I give no apologies. I feel no shame! If Michael Jordan thinks it’s cool to be a “Toon” then I say “Right on”.

On a more serious thought, I found myself reflecting on what a lot of people have been saying that our involvement in the elections is for the future of our children. As I reflect on what to write for my column I find myself asking: What does more for their future, elections or cartoons?

The cartoons focused on right and wrong, deception, emotional restraint, the complexity of evil, of victims and bad guys, even bad girls and grandmas.

Anyone who has watched “Phineas and Ferb” can tell you that it’s a great show to boost children’s creativity, humor and does not skip the truth of “Tattle-tales” and big sisters. In “Toon Town” Michael Jordan and his “toon-mates” are willing to risk their lives for what they believe in.

If our involvement in the elections is about insuring the future of our children, I guess the question then is: What future?

Is it the one where a thousand families with Spanish or Chinese surnames control the economy? Is it the future where the same “old family names” will once again be in the election ballots because elective positions have become part of their inheritance scheme? Is it the same future where people with the same family name also get to inherit churches and pulpits?

Forgive me for preferring “cartoons” because in that world, the good guys win. In that world, there are still lessons to be learned and adventures to be experienced, certainly not a “hand-me-down nation” of corrupt, tax evading, opinionated people who do not hold their selves accountable to God or man.

The future of our children lies only on one thing: Your choice to spend time with them. To mentor them, teach them, to love and inspire them. It is not dependent on who you vote for or the politics you play with. So please can we all just skip or flush down all this talk about the elections being about our children’s future. Our children’s future will be determined only by one thing — if we are good parents or reproductive but useless adults.